Guides
The questions worth answering before you sign anything — written plainly, with the arithmetic shown.
Looking for something else? Help centre — How to apply and how to use Spark, on the website and in the app. · Writing — News and argument about Canadian small-business lending.
Getting a loan
The route from first question to signed offer, and what gets read along the way.
- September 26, 2026Business credit in Canada, and how to build itHow business credit differs from personal credit, who keeps business credit files in Canada, and the steps that build a record lenders can read.3 min read
- September 26, 2026When payroll is due and the cash is not thereWhat to do when a Canadian business cannot cover payroll this week, what never to use as a stopgap, and how to stop it happening again.3 min read
- September 26, 2026Personal guarantees on business loans, explainedWhat you are promising when you personally guarantee a business loan, why lenders ask for it even when the company is incorporated, and what to read before you sign.4 min read
- September 26, 2026Financing a seasonal businessHow to carry a business through the quiet months and into the busy ones — what lenders make of seasonal statements, and which financing fits the shape of the year.4 min read
- September 25, 2026What a business loan broker does, and how they get paidA commercial finance broker takes one application to several lenders. What that is worth, who pays for it, and the warning signs of a broker to avoid.4 min read
- September 25, 2026What working capital is, and how to calculate itThe formula, what the number actually tells you, why profitable businesses still run short of cash, and what to do when working capital gets tight.3 min read
- September 24, 2026Business loan requirements and collateral in CanadaWhat lenders actually ask for, what changes the list, and when a loan needs security behind it — and when it does not.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Can you get a business loan with bad credit in Canada?What a low score actually changes, what it does not, and how to put the strongest file forward when your credit is not.3 min read
- September 24, 2026How to get a business loan in CanadaThe whole route, start to finish: which door to knock on, what gets read, what to send, and how to compare what comes back.6 min read
- September 8, 2026How much can my business actually borrow?Why the number comes from your deposits rather than your revenue, and the four things that move it up or down.3 min read
- September 8, 2026Why we ask for six months of statementsWhat an underwriter actually reads in your bank statements, and why it is usually better for you than a credit score.2 min read
Kinds of financing
What each one is, how it is repaid, and when it is the wrong answer.
- September 26, 2026Inventory financing in Canada: borrowing against stockHow businesses borrow to buy stock or against the stock they hold, how much lenders advance on it, and when a line of credit or a term loan does the job better.3 min read
- September 26, 2026Purchase order financing in CanadaHow to fill an order you cannot afford to fill: a financier pays your supplier, your customer pays the financier, and you keep the margin.3 min read
- September 26, 2026Secured or unsecured business loans: the real differenceWhat "secured" and "unsecured" actually mean on a Canadian business loan, how each is priced, and why an unsecured loan is rarely as unsecured as it sounds.3 min read
- September 25, 2026Consolidating and refinancing business debtWhen replacing several business debts with one makes sense, when it only moves the problem, and how to tell whether a refinance actually saves money.4 min read
- September 25, 2026Financing the purchase of a business in CanadaHow buying an existing business is usually paid for — your own money, a bank or BDC loan, and the seller's — and what lenders read before they fund it.4 min read
- September 25, 2026Equipment leasing or an equipment loan: which one?Who owns the machine, how the payments and sales tax fall, what happens at the end, and how to choose between a lease and a loan in Canada.4 min read
- September 25, 2026Short-term business loans in CanadaA lump sum repaid within months rather than years. How short-term business loans are priced and repaid, and when a line of credit fits better.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Construction equipment financing in CanadaExcavators, loaders, lifts and trucks — how financing heavy equipment works, new or used, and what gets a file approved faster.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Invoice factoring in Canada: costs and how it worksSelling your invoices for cash now, explained plainly — the advance, the fee, recourse, and when borrowing against receivables is the better deal.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Merchant cash advances in Canada, and what they costA factor rate is not an interest rate. How a merchant cash advance is priced and repaid, what it really costs, and what to compare it with.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Revenue-based financing in Canada, explainedFunding sized against what your business brings in rather than what it owns. How it is priced, how it is repaid, and who it suits.3 min read
Costs and rates
How to read what an offer really costs, in dollars.
Bookkeeping and sales tax
Keeping your own books in Canada: what to record, what the CRA lets you claim, and GST/HST from registering to filing.
- October 4, 2026Bookkeeping for contractors and trades in CanadaConstruction bookkeeping for Canadian contractors: job costing, holdbacks and their GST/HST, T5018 subcontractor reporting, and keeping cash in view.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Bookkeeping for sole proprietors in CanadaSelf-employed in Canada? How to keep books that drop straight onto Form T2125: categories, home office, vehicle logs, GST/HST and the deadlines.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Bookkeeping vs accounting: what's the difference?Bookkeeping records what happened; accounting turns those records into financial statements, tax returns and advice. Who does what during the year and at year-end for a Canadian small business, with the CRA deadlines.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Business vs personal expenses: what to do when they mixPersonal spending on the business card isn't an expense. How to book it — shareholder loan for a corporation, owner's draw for a sole proprietor.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Capital cost allowance (CCA) explained, with the common CCA classesHow capital cost allowance works in Canada: the CCA classes and rates small businesses use most, the half-year rule, the 2026 vehicle limits, the status of the Accelerated Investment Incentive, and a worked example.8 min read
- October 4, 2026Cash vs accrual accounting in CanadaCash or accrual? What the CRA lets Canadian sole proprietors use, why most must report on accrual, how GST/HST timing works, and a worked year-end.6 min read
- October 4, 2026A chart of accounts for a small business in Canada (with template)A sample Canadian chart of accounts, numbered and mapped to CRA GIFI codes, with the GST/HST, shareholder loan and owner's draw accounts most templates miss.6 min read
- October 4, 2026CPP for the self-employed in Canada: 2026 rates and maximumsSelf-employed CPP for 2026: 11.9% of net business income above $3,500, up to $8,460.90, plus CPP2 of up to $832. How it's worked out, when it's paid, what you can deduct, with examples.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Do I need to register for GST/HST? The $30,000 small supplier ruleWhen a Canadian business must register for GST/HST: the $30,000 small supplier threshold, the single-quarter and four-quarter tests, and voluntary registration.7 min read
- October 4, 2026A bookkeeping spreadsheet or software?When a free bookkeeping spreadsheet is enough for a Canadian small business, how to lay one out with GST/HST, and the signs it's time to move to software.6 min read
- October 4, 2026GST/HST invoice requirements: what an invoice must showWhat a Canadian invoice or receipt has to show for GST/HST, by dollar amount: under $100, $100 to $499.99, and $500 or more. With examples and the mistakes that cost your customers their input tax credits.7 min read
- October 4, 2026The GST/HST quick method, explainedHow the CRA's quick method of accounting works: who qualifies, the remittance rates, the 1% credit on the first $30,000, and when it saves you money.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Business-use-of-home expenses for the self-employed in CanadaThe home office deduction for sole proprietors: the two CRA tests, what you can claim, how to work out your share, and why it can't create a loss.6 min read
- October 4, 2026How long to keep business records in CanadaThe CRA's six-year rule for business records and receipts: when the clock starts, the exceptions, scanning paper receipts, and destroying records early.7 min read
- October 4, 2026How much does a bookkeeper cost in Canada?What bookkeeping services cost in Canada: what bookkeepers earn per hour by province (Job Bank data), how firms price monthly and hourly work, what drives the price up, and how to get a quote you can compare.7 min read
- October 4, 2026How to do bookkeeping for a small business in CanadaDIY bookkeeping for a Canadian small business: what to record, how to sort it, GST/HST, the monthly routine and what the CRA expects you to keep.7 min read
- October 4, 2026How to file a GST/HST returnFiling a GST/HST return in Canada line by line: 101, 103, 105, 106, 108 and 109, with a worked example, NETFILE, access codes and deadlines.7 min read
- October 4, 2026How to pay yourself as a sole proprietor in CanadaSole proprietors pay themselves with owner's draws, not a salary. Why draws aren't an expense, why you're taxed on profit instead, how much to take, and how to leave enough for tax, CPP and GST/HST.7 min read
- October 4, 2026How to read a profit and loss statementA profit and loss statement (income statement) read line by line, with a worked example for a small Canadian café: revenue, cost of goods sold, gross margin, expenses and net income, and what isn't on it.7 min read
- October 4, 2026How to reconcile a bank accountBank reconciliation for small businesses: how to reconcile a bank statement to your books, step by step, with a worked example and how to find a difference.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Meals and entertainment expenses in Canada: the 50% ruleCan you deduct business meals in Canada? Usually half. How the CRA's 50% rule works, the exceptions, and why you only claim half the GST/HST back too.6 min read
- October 4, 2026Salary vs dividends in Canada: how to pay yourself from your corporationSalary or dividends from your own Canadian corporation: what changes for CPP, RRSP room, EI, paperwork and family members, with a worked example. The plain trade-offs, without tax-rate guesses.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Small business tax deductions in Canada: the full list, by T2125 lineBusiness write-offs in Canada, line by line on Form T2125: what you can deduct, the limits on meals, vehicles and home office, what you can't deduct, and a worked example.8 min read
- October 4, 2026Tax instalments for the self-employed in CanadaWho has to pay income tax instalments in Canada (the $3,000 rule), the four due dates, the three ways to work out the amount, and what happens if you pay late. With a worked example.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Claiming vehicle expenses as a self-employed person in CanadaHow the CRA works out the business use of your vehicle, what you can claim, the logbook it expects, the simplified logbook, and the 2026 limits.7 min read
- October 4, 2026Year-end bookkeeping checklist for Canadian small businessesWhat to close, reconcile and hand your accountant at year end — with the CRA deadlines for T2 corporations, sole proprietors, GST/HST and slips.7 min read
Programs and alternatives
Government programs, grants, the banks and BDC — and where each one fits.
- September 26, 2026Franchise financing in CanadaHow franchisees pay for the fee, the build-out and the first months — bank franchise programs, the CSBFP, equipment financing — and what lenders want.3 min read
- September 25, 2026Paying off your CEBA loan before December 31, 2026What is still owed on a CEBA loan, what happens at the deadline, and how to plan the payoff — from cash, from a line of credit, or by refinancing it.4 min read
- September 25, 2026Startup business loans in Canada: what is realisticMost business lenders want trading history a new business does not have yet. Where startup financing in Canada actually comes from, and what each option expects.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Bank, BDC or broker: where to borrow in CanadaWhat the big banks, BDC and alternative lenders each look for, what they cost relative to each other, and how to pick the one your file actually fits.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Canada Small Business Financing Program, explainedHow the federal government-backed small business loan works: who qualifies, how much, what it costs, what it cannot pay for, and what to do if your bank says no.4 min read
- September 24, 2026Small business grants in Canada, or a loan?Where Canadian small business grants actually come from, what they usually fund, how long they take — and how to tell whether you need a grant or a loan.3 min read